Fairy Tail: Redux
by Julby
Summary: Do you have an interest in viewing Fairy Tail through a gayer, Lucy centric lens? Do you want to experience the series all over again in a whole new way? I'm planning to rewrite the entire series, making it gayer, more respectful, and changing some of the events of the main story! Main relationship is Erlu or Erza/Lucy.
1. Chapter 1: The First Encounter

"What?! There's only one magic shop in this entire town?!" Lucy had hoped there would be at _least_ more than one she could stop by. She certainly didn't come to Hargeon just to enjoy the sunlight and the salty breeze! Not that those weren't nice things that she totally was loving, but _still_! She sighed as the vendor elaborated, mentioning that so few people use magic in this fishing focused port town, and his shop was aimed at selling to travelling wizards. She couldn't help but feel her entire visit had been a waste of time. "Ugh I can't believe I came all this way for nothing." She grumbled.

"Now now, don't say that! Look, I have all the latest goods in stock!" The small man whipped out a thin pink box sporting a mirror on the bottom. "This Colors magic is popular with the girls! You can change the color of your clothes to match how you feel that day! See, look!" He activated the device, and with a dramatic wave of his arm, his hoodie turned from a light yellow to a darker purple.

"I already have one." She replies as the man does another wave of his arm to change the color back. "I'm looking for powerful gate keys."

"Gate keys, huh? That's a rare request. He brings out a small box and sets it on the table. He then opens it to reveal a silver key with a blue shape resembling a head on the handle.

"The White Doggy!" Lucy immediately exclaimed, a gleeful smile on her face.

"It's not powerful at all." The vendor quipped.

"That's okay! I've been looking everywhere for it. How much?!"

"20,000 Jewel."

Lucy paused, "Aha…" Surely she heard wrong. Adding a bit of inflection to her voice, but keeping her smile plastered on, she asked, "..._How_ much again?"

With a similar inflection, and no indication of backing down, the man repeated, "20,000 Jewel."

Clearly Lucy needed to pull out her trump card. Flirting was a woman's best friend, after all!

A few minutes later, Lucy was grumpily marching down the cobblestone street. "He only lowered it by 1,000 Jewel! Is that all my feminine charm is worth?!" She pouted, "That's so cheap!"

The sound of a chattering crowd interrupted her tantrum, drawing her attention to the street below her, where a large group of girls surrounded a lone man.

Behind her, two more enthusiastic girls ran to join them, shouting, "A famous wizard is here! The Salamander!"

"Salamander?" Lucy repeated, blinking. Once it clicked, she grinned. "The famous wizard who can use magic you can't find in stores!" She absolutely _had_ to meet him! Lucy hastily checked her hair in her pocket mirror, then undid and re-tied her one sided mini ponytail, making sure her blonde locks fell just as she wanted them to. She had to make a good first impression, after all!

When she neared the crowd, she heard comments like, "What a dreamboat!" and "Please burn me!" break through the clashing chatter, and as she got closer, she realized why. The man at the center of attention was incredibly attractive, with a nice face and cooly cut dusk blue hair. The way he posed and grinned, swishing his dark purple cape behind him was suave and casual, and Lucy was very aware of her own heartbeat thumping harder. Her jaw dropped, and she could feel herself blushing harder than she was used to. _What's gotten into me?!_ She thought to herself as the man soaked up all the attention coming his way. _Why is my heart beating so fast?!_

He looked her way and she heard herself squeak, instinctively clutching at the fabric of her shirt over her chest. _Is it because he's a famous wizard?! Could it be-? Am I in-?_

"Igneel! Igneel! Igneel!" A pink haired boy poked his head out from the sea of girls, calling for the Salamander's attention. All of a sudden he slouched, looking utterly confused. "...Who are you?"

"Does the name 'Salamander' ring a bell?" The gorgeous man responded, after a beat of astonishment.

"Disappointment." The boy mumbled, immediately leaving the crowd.

"Wait, you're leaving already?" the Salamander called, his voice shrill with surprise.

"How rude!" The girl beside her growled, stalking after him as a few others joined her. "Mr. Salamander is an amazing wizard! Apologize right now!" Usually Lucy wouldn't care so much about the reputation of a total stranger, however this Salamander had her feeling some serious feelings, and she couldn't deny she was just as angry.

As the girls tackled the boy, pinning him to the ground, she made to join them, only to be accidentally pushed out of the way. She felt her hip collide with something hard, and a grimace replaced her frown of anger. She had run into a magazine stall, displacing a few of the products by doing so, and a quick glance showed they were issues of the Sorcerer Magazine, one of her favorites. As she looked at the cover of the week's issue, featuring a knight with stunning scarlet hair, she felt an immediate change in her mood, and scrambled to fix the display she'd disturbed. "I'm so sorry!" she apologized quickly, backing away from the crowd slightly.

"Now, now. That's enough! He didn't mean anything by it!" The Salamander laughed, running a hand through his hair. Looking at him, Lucy realized she didn't feel a thing anymore. All that blushing and racing heart business was suddenly just gone. She crossed her arms and studied the man in front of her as he forced his autograph upon the inconvenienced boy, acting as though he had achieved some great feat and was showing pity on him. Looking closer at the rings he wore, her suspicions were confirmed. The ring on his index finger sported a heart shape indicative of a charming spell. "Well, I have business at the port, so I must be off." He announced, snapping his fingers and chanting 'Red Carpet'. A red magic circle appeared, and purple flames trailed behind him like a snake. "I'm having a party on my boat tonight! You're all invited!" He called as he zipped away, leaving a trail of purple in his wake.

"Who was that?" Lucy's attention turned back to the boy, who was now sitting on the ground.

"Guess it wasn't him after all?" A blue cat offered. It seemed to be the boy's companion.

"That guy was a creep." Lucy commented, walking up to them. "Thanks, by the way!"

"Huh?" The boy tilted his head.

Shortly after, Lucy found herself sitting across from the boy and his cat at a restaurant, attempting to introduce herself as they wolfed down a large amount of food at an almost worrying pace. She had offered to pay for their meals, but after seeing them go to town on it, she was starting to regret that decision. _There goes the 1,000 Jewel that guy saved me… _"So...Natsu and Happy, was it?"

"Yeah! You're really nice!" The boy, Natsu, affirmed, food still in his mouth.

"Well, that guy was using a charm spell. It can attract people to you, even against their will." Lucy explained, "Though, sale of it was supposed to be banned years ago. It's pretty creepy to go that far, just to be popular!" She rested her elbow on the table, putting her chin in her hand and looking at the duo appreciatively. "You barging in helped me break free of the spell, so this meal is my thanks."

"I see." Natsu replied, still focused on the food in front of him.

"You know, I'm actually a wizard too!" Lucy continued, "I haven't joined a guild yet, though." She paused for a beat, _Oh! He might not know what guilds are! _"By the way, guilds are organizations where wizards gather to find work and share information. If you aren't in a guild, you can't be considered a full-fledged wizard." At Natsu's silence, she kept on talking, excitement bubbling through her as she gestured animatedly, "There are lots of guilds all over the world, and getting into the popular ones is apparently really tough! The one I want to join is filled with amazing wizards, and even if it's tough, I really want to join it!" At Natsu's look, she laughed, "Oh, sorry! This wizarding talk must sound like nonsense to you, huh?"

"You talk a lot." The cat, Happy, stated.

"Oh yeah, come to think of it, it sounded like you were looking for someone."

"Aye! Igneel!" Happy answered.

Natsu nodded, adding, "We're here 'cause we heard a Salamander was coming to this town-"

"We rode the train twice!" Happy interjected.

"-but it was someone else." Natsu finished, unaffected. "A Salamander's a fire dragon, so we thought he'd be Igneel."

"Wait, what?" Lucy blinked, "Why did you take the train twice? And what kind of person would look like a dragon?"

"You see, Natsu's-" Happy started.

"-No, Igneel's not like a dragon, he _is _a dragon!" Natsu interrupted, as if trying to keep Happy from spilling some kind of secret. She didn't really care at the moment, however. _A dragon?!_ Dragon's were very rare creatures, and were hardly ever seen! It was likely they were even extinct! _Why is he looking for a-?! Wait… _

"Natsu...why would there be a dragon in the middle of town?!" Both Natsu and Happy went slack jawed, and raised a finger as if to protest, however both of them remained silent. _They seriously didn't think about that?! _"You're only just _now _realizing that?!" She sighed, placing some money down on the table. She'd about hit her limit with socializing, and was seriously looking forward to some relaxing time on her own. "Well, I've got to get going. Enjoy your meal!"

As she made her way to the door, the greeter's shocked expression prompted her to turn around, and what she saw immediately made her take a quick, bracing breath. Natsu and Happy were bowing to her in the middle of the restaurant floor. "Thank you for the meal!"

"Stop it! You're embarrassing me!" Lucy exclaimed, looking around at the people now staring at them, "It's okay! You helped me so now we're even!"

"I don't feel like we helped her though…" Natsu said, turning to Happy.

"Aye, I still feel indebted." Happy agreed.

"I know!" Natsu said, pulling out the autograph the phony Salamander forced him to take, "You can have this!"

"I don't want it!"

Finally alone, and with a newly purchased Sorcerer Weekly magazine, Lucy flipped through the pages as she relaxed on a park bench. It was the same issue she'd disturbed the displays for earlier in the day, and as she read on, she laughed slightly. "Sheesh. Fairy Tail caused trouble again? Devon Bandit Clan Wiped Out? Seven Homes Destroyed? Talk about going overboard!" She flipped to the next page to see two gorgeous shots of a girl in a flowing sundress as white as her hair, a blue flower pin in her hair that complimented both her eyes, as well as the vast ocean stretching out behind her. "Wow, Mirajane looks so beautiful! So, she's the glamour model this time, huh?" As much as she loved Mirajane, she kind of wished the girl on the cover had gotten some glamour shots too. Honestly, this issue was just blessing her with beautiful women to look at, and she considered that maybe this was her new favorite issue. As she flipped another page, she found her thoughts drifting back towards joining a guild. "How _do _you join Fairy Tail, anyway?" She murmured aloud, "Is there an interview or something?" She closed the magazine, and gave a whimsical sigh, "The Fairy Tail wizard guild is just so cool…"

"Oh? You want to join Fairy Tail?"

Lucy almost jumped out of her skin at the unexpected, yet familiar voice. "S-Salamander?!"

"I've been looking for you." He stated, holding up his hand in a way that clearly showed her his rings, "I wanted to personally invite you to the party I'm hosting tonight."

Lucy stood up, "Your charm spell won't work on me!" She pointed at him in an accusatory manner, "Its weakness is awareness! It won't work on people who are aware of it!"

Salamander laughed, "I knew from the moment I saw you that you were a wizard. No matter. Just come to my party."

"Yeah, right! Like I'd ever go to some creep's party!" She crossed her arms and scowled at him, "Your charm spell. Would you really go that far to be popular?"

"It's only a formality!" He assured, giving a sparkling smile, "I just want to feel like a celebrity during the party."

"For a so-called famous wizard, you really are stupid."

"Oh! But you want to join Fairy Tail, right? Surely you've heard of the 'Salamander' in Fairy Tail."

Lucy gasped and thought for a moment. "I have!...Wait, _you're _a member of Fairy Tail?!"

"That's right. If you want to join, I can put in a good word with our master." He grinned smugly, and she knew he had her right where he wanted her. As much as a creep he may be, she couldn't waste an opportunity to join the guild of her dreams.

"It sounds like it'll be a really nice party!" She said, throwing on her most charming of smiles, "I'll be sure to come, then!"

"Wow, talk about a simple personality." He chuckled to himself, basking in his victory over her.

Lucy felt her smile waver, but successfully held it in place, pretending she didn't hear him. "So, can you really get me into Fairy Tail?"

"Of course. But in return, don't say anything about the charm spell."

"Sure! No problem!" Lucy lied through her teeth, smile still firmly in place. Like hell she was going to keep quiet about that! _Once that creep gets me into Fairy Tail, I'm ratting on him. _In her opinion, it was absolutely never okay to force someone to fall in love with you against their will. Plus, she was still angry about being affected by the spell herself!

"All right! See you at the party!" With a snap, he flew off the same way as before, purple flames trailing behind him. After he'd left, Lucy dropped the smile and stuck out her tongue at the receding trail. _I only have to be nice to that idiot until he gets me into Fairy Tail…_ She turned and started for where she was staying, mentally picking through her on hand wardrobe for what she wanted to wear.

The night air on the docks was cool, and slight breezes here and there played with her hair as she approached the Salamander's boat. She had decided on a nice, elegant red dress, and had used a red bow in her hair to match it. She didn't care what Creepmander thought of her looks, but she did want to leave a good impression, should any other Fairy Tail members, or even the master themself be there. Nearing the vessel, she found herself feeling lost within the sea of people, until she heard the Salamander call her name. He grinned at her, and she couldn't help noticing how he hadn't changed his clothes from before. "Lame." She mumbled from behind a very fake smile, moving through the crowd to meet him.

"Shall we?" He held out his arm to her, and if this were anyone else, she might have said it was charming.

"Of course!" She agreed, begrudgingly taking his arm and following him onto the boat and into the heart of the party. They weaved in and out of the crowd as the boat took off into the night, and Lucy truly started to wonder if she'd made a deal with a devil. The pure amount of socializing he was putting her through was hellish, and she was getting very exhausted very fast. Nonetheless, she kept up her facade, keeping a pleasant demeanor as the creep whisked her all around the boat. She was almost thankful for his charm spell in the moment, as all the lovestruck girls crowding them barely left room for a word in edgewise, minimizing how much talking she'd actually have to do.

After a lap around the party boat, Salamander led her to a private room, separated by a curtain and set up for fine dining. There were two glasses, and an expensive looking bottle of juice on the table, and to the side were big windows showcasing the dark ocean waves. Lucy wasn't exactly hungry, nor was she about to trust any drink Creepmander gave her, but she was at least relieved to have some privacy. After they'd sat down, Salamander crossed his legs and gave her a flirtatious look. "Let's start with a toast." He suggested, pouring the juice into the two glasses. He snapped, and orbs of wine floated from her glass. "Now, open your mouth and savor the jewels of fruit juice as they enter." He said, clearly attempting to sound alluring, but only succeeding in sounding like more of a creep.

With a small shiver going down her spine, she rapidly ran through multitudes of possible excuses she could give to deny him, before she sensed something off. Eyes narrowing, she stood up abruptly and swatted the juice orbs away. "What's the big idea?" She demanded, all traces of cooperation having vanished. "That was sleep magic."

"Oho…" He lifted his hand to his chin, showing off his rings once again. The ring on his middle finger bore a symbol of a double face, and a closed eye. "I'm impressed."

"Don't get the wrong idea. I want to join Fairy Tail, but I have no intention of being your girl." Lucy stated, placing a hand on her hip.

"Heh...you're a tough one." He snapped, and the curtains separating the room opened, revealing many rough looking, muscular men carrying the unconscious party guests.

"What's going on here?!" Lucy stepped back, realizing just how trapped she was.

"Welcome to my ship. You will behave yourself until we reach Bosco...girl." Creepmander sneered, his expression and tone completely different from before.

"Bosco? Hey, what about Fairy Tail?!" She asked, despite the feeling she knew the answer. She swallowed, the sinking feeling in her stomach only getting worse as the seconds went by.

"Forget about it, you're our merchandise now." He grinned again, but this grin was cold and full of pure malice.

"Why, you…!" Lucy reached for the gatekeys at her hip, but as she saw his magic circle appear, she knew she was too late. The Salamander's purple flames burst towards her and wrapped around her wrist, forcing her keys out of her hand and sending them flying Salamander's way. He snatched them from the air, and she clutched her wrist with a hiss of pain. The flames dissipated, and the Salamander made a noise of disinterest.

"Gatekeys...A celestial wizard, huh? Only contract holders can use this magic, meaning they're useless to me." As she watched, he chucked her gatekeys out the window of the ship, sending them plunging into the waves below. She dropped her gaze to the floor, desperately trying to think of something, anything, she could do to get herself out of this. With her gatekeys gone, and her dominant wrist burned, she couldn't use either of her primary means of defense. Without the keys, she couldn't use her magic, and without proper use of her wrist, she couldn't use her whip. At this point, a physical fight was all that was left, which she was not proficient in whatsoever, nor would it help much against so many. She thought back to how he said he was from Fairy Tail, and found herself shaking both in fear and in rage. _I can't believe a wizard in Fairy Tail would do something like this…!_ As menacing laughter sounded around her, and tears pricked her eyes, Lucy grit her teeth and defiantly met the Salamander's gaze.

"Using magic for evil to fool people…" She could feel the tears freely running down her face now, but she continued speaking, "You're the worst kind of wizard there is!" She yelled. She braced herself as two of the men grabbed her from both sides, but a sudden collapse of the ceiling froze everyone in the room to the spot. Landing on top of the wreckage was Natsu, face hardened, with his white, scaly scarf flapping behind him. "Natsu!" She exclaimed, hope flooding over her once more.

Natsu looked at her a moment, then puffed out his cheeks and turned away, covering his mouth with his hand. "I can't handle this after all…" he groaned, looking as if he were about to puke.

"So uncool…!" Lucy couldn't help but comment.

"What are you doing, Lucy?" Happy was floating above the hole Natsu had created, white wings coming out of his back. Lucy didn't remember Happy having wings, but she was just thankful they were here.

"I was tricked! He said he'd get me into Fairy Tail!" She told him, then added, "Also, you have wings?!"

"We'll talk later." Happy said, curling his tail around her waist, "Let's go!"

He pulled her up into the sky and flew off. Below her, Salamander yelled, "After them! We can't let them report us to the council!"

"What about Natsu?!"

"I can't carry two people!"

Salamander growled and another magic circle appeared, "You're not going anywhere! Prominence Whip!" At least a dozen trails of purple fire erupted from the circle and made their assault on the duo. Happy weaved through them as best he could, and Lucy winced as one barely brushed by her leg. Leading all the trails towards him, Happy darted out of the way at the last moment, and they all collided with one another, exploding into a fantastic fireworks display.

"We have to go back and save Natsu and the guests!" Lucy wasn't sure how to do that exactly, but she knew they needed to!

"Listen, Lucy!"

"What?! This isn't a good time!"

"My transformation is over!" With a poof, Happy's wings disappeared, and they both plunged into the cold, salty water.

Under the water, Lucy opened her eyes and noticed a glint on a nearby rock. Swimming towards it, she found what she was hoping for. _There they are!_ She grabbed her keys and swam back to the surface, where Happy floated tiredly. "Here goes!" She yelled, singling out one of her golden keys. "Open, Gate of the Water Bearer!" She plunged the key into the water and turned, a distinct ding-dong sounding as the magic circle appeared. "Aquarius!" In a swirling rush of water, a blue haired mermaid appeared, holding a large jug that sprayed a trail of water behind her.

"A fish!" Happy exclaimed.

"No." Lucy responded.

"That was amazing!"

"I _am _a celestial wizard!" Lucy bragged, "I can use gatekeys to summon celestial spirits from another world!" Turning back to the matter at hand, she pointed towards the receding boat. "Aquarius! Use your power to push that ship back to port!"

Aquarius frowned, "Ugh."

"Did you just say 'ugh'?!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Heed this, annoying child. Drop my key again, and I'll kill you." Aquarius warned, gaze hard and imposing.

"W-We're sorry!" Lucy and Happy echoed each other, wilting under the mermaid's terrifying look.

Getting to work, Aquarius released a powerful water vortex from her jug, yelling aggressively as she did so. With a boom, massive waves shoved the boat backwards, almost threatening to capsize it as they did so.

Within a dizzying whirlpool, Lucy yelled, "Don't sweep me with it!" as the large, destructive wave crashed into the port town, overtaking many buildings. As the last of the waves rained down, Lucy continued, "What were you thinking?! Why did you sweep me with it?!"

"Whoops. I accidentally swept up the ship, too."

"You were aiming for me?!"

"Don't call me for a while. I'm going on a week-long trip with my boyfriend." After a pause, she repeated, "With my boyfriend." before disappearing from their world.

"I heard you the first time!" Lucy shouted to nothing. It was just like Aquarius to brag about having a partner.

Picking up Happy, she ran to the now beached party boat. It was slowly being surrounded by astounded locals, curious at exactly what had happened. Atop the wreckage, she could just make out a shadow that looked familiar. "Natsu!" She yelled to get his attention. She stopped as she drew closer and saw the darkened expression on his face.

"_You're _a Fairy Tail wizard?" Natsu questioned in a low, threatening voice to the washed up Creepmander.

"Yeah, so what? Get 'im, men!"

"Let me get a closer look at you." Natsu ordered, removing his jacket in preparation for a fight.

"Natsu!" Lucy yelled again, afraid the boy would get himself hurt. Did he even know self defense? Nice arms don't mean nice skills, necessarily!

"It's okay. We should've mentioned earlier, but Natsu's a wizard too." Happy chimed in, happily holding a fish to his mouth.

Shoving the first assailant out of the way with ease, and with a face filled with enough rage to put Aquarius to shame, Natsu announced, "I'm Natsu of Fairy Tail! I've never seen you before in my life!"

"Wha-?!" Creepmander exclaimed, caught in his lie.

"Fairy Tail?! Natsu's a Fairy Tail wizard?!" Lucy was astounded, to say the least. _Why hadn't they told me back then? Why did they let me go on and on as if they didn't already know every word I was saying? Oh man, that's so embarrassing…_ Now that Natsu had taken off his jacket, she could see the red Fairy Tail emblem on his right shoulder clear as day. _Except it's night._

"Th-That emblem!" One of Creepmander's men spoke up, "He's the real deal, Bora!"

"You fool! Don't call me by that name!" Creepmander, or Bora, screeched.

"Bora...Bora the Prominence." Happy stated, frowning. "He was kicked out of Titan Nose wizard guild years ago."

Walking towards Bora with a heated aura, Natsu continued. "I don't care if you're a good guy or a bad guy...But I won't let you tarnish Fairy Tail's name!"

"And what are you going to do about it, kid?! Prominence Typhoon!" A swirling vortex of purple fire shot towards Natsu, who failed to react in time. The impact created an explosion, and a column of flames. "The bigger the talk, the weaker the man." Bora stated, turning his back on the destruction, assured in his victory.

"This tastes horrible." Natsu complained, stopping Bora in his tracks. "Are you _really _a fire wizard?" Natsu asked as he devoured the flames around him. "This is the worst fire I've ever tasted." Within moments, all the flames were gone, and Natsu grinned. "Thanks for the meal."

"I've never seen magic like that before!" Lucy knew a lot about magic, but this was definitely a first for her. Eating fire?

"Now that I've eaten, I feel re-energised!" Natsu slammed his fists together, and a flame colored magic circle opened up from the impact. "Fire Dragon's Roar!" He shouted, spewing flames from his mouth just like a dragon would. The spell created a large explosion, causing even more destruction, and wiping out most of the men.

Bora, having floated out of range with his own fire magic, lowered himself once again as one of his still conscious men spoke to him, "B-Bora! I've seen this guy before! That pink hair and scaly-looking scarf! No doubt about it, he's the _real _Salamander!"

"Pay attention, now! _This_ is what Fairy Tail wizards are like!" Flames engulfed both of Natsu's arms as he spoke, and he launched himself forward. In a panic, Bora released another spell, but none of the showering flames managed to hit Natsu. Jumping up to even ground, Natsu gave Bora a fiery punch that sent him flying a long distance.

"He eats fire...punches with fire...is this really magic?" Lucy couldn't believe it, she had never heard of anything like it whatsoever.

"Dragon lungs for breathing fire, dragon scales for dissolving fire, and dragon talons that are wrapped with fire. It's an ancient spell that lets his body take on the qualities of a dragon." Happy explained, "It was originally used for taking down dragons. It's dragon slayer magic! Igneel taught it to him."

"Hell Prominence!" Bora shrieked, emitting a huge, concentrated fire beam from his magic circle. The beam cut straight through the harbor town, leaving a line of smoke and destruction in its wake.

"I'm gonna cook you like a grilled fish!" Natsu growled, "Fire Dragon Iron Fist!" With one last fiery punch, Natsu took down Bora, and the ex-wizard slammed into a crumbled building.

"That was amazing! But…" Lucy looked around at the ruined town, "Way too overboard!"

"Aye!"

"Don't just say 'aye'!"

At the sound of marching guardsman, Natsu bolted, grabbing Lucy by the hand and dragging her with him. "Crap! Let's get outta here!"

"Why do _I _have to?!"

"You wanna join our guild, don't you?!" He looked back at her and grinned, "Come on!"

Smiling back, she gave an enthusiastic, "Yeah!" And joined him in running from the authorities. Maybe it hadn't gone as she'd expected, but she met a Fairy Tail mage! And helped save a bunch of people from a massive creep! All in all, she couldn't call it a bad day.


	2. Chapter 2: Monkey Business

Lucy could feel her heart beating in her chest as she looked up at the giant sign reading 'Fairy Tail'. The building seemed to stand out from the rest of Magnolia without feeling out of place, and as she stood at its entrance, she couldn't help but feel small in comparison.

"Welcome to Fairy Tail!" Happy exclaimed. Natsu gives a nod and steps forward, kicking the doors open suddenly with an air of familiarity.

"We're back!" He roars, with Happy chiming in to say the same. Lucy tightens her grip on her suitcase and follows him into the building, steeling her nerves as she gets closer and closer to confronting her dream. She wasn't quite sure what to expect from the members inside, but she knew first impressions tended to stick, so she could only hope they'd cut her some slack if she slipped up at all.

The guild was filled with people, most of them hanging around at the various tables, or getting drinks at the nearby bar. A chorus of greetings came their way, directed at Natsu and Happy of course. Lucy swallowed and stood off to the side, letting Natsu take the lead in interacting with the members. A man at a nearby table with large teeth acknowledged Natsu, then continued, "You really went all out this time! I heard Hargeon was-"

He didn't get to finish his sentence before Natsu slammed his foot into the man's face angrily. Lucy balked and took a step back, not wanting to get caught in the middle of...whatever Natsu was doing. "You little…! You lied to me about the Salamander!" Natsu yelled, pointing at the man accusingly.

"Don't blame me! I only told you some rumors I happened to hear!" The man protested, holding his face and pointing back at Natsu in challenge.

"You wanna fight?!" Natsu sent a punch his way and promptly began an all out brawl, soon encompassing many of the surrounding members in his shenanigans. As tables flipped and punches were thrown, Lucy backed up even more until she was near the bar, avoiding the fight as best she could. She watched the chaos in confusion, wondering if this was a normal occurrence, or if this was something serious. She sighs and attempts to observe more of her surroundings properly, wanting more than anything to just ignore the yelling around her and revel in the fact that she was here, in the guild of her dreams.

"Oh? Natsu's back?!" A boy with black hair yells, prompting Lucy to turn his way. She quickly looked away, however, as he only wore boxers and a silver necklace. "It's time to settle things from the other day, Natsu!"

As she wonders why the boy is almost naked, and what his beef could be with Natsu, a pretty brunette sitting at the bar sighs and takes a sip of her wine. "Gray, your clothes." She tells him.

"Oh shit!" The boy, Gray, exclaims, though he doesn't actually put anything on. Lucy makes a mental note to avoid getting too close to him, just in case his stripping was an indicator of anything fishy.

"This is why I can't stand the men here. They have no class at all." The brunette quips, taking another sip of her wine. "I'm Cana, are you new?"

"Ah um, yes! It's nice to meet you, I'm Lucy!" Lucy replies, trying to hide just how nervous she is. It doesn't help that this Cana girl is absolutely gorgeous. "Is that, um, normal?" She asks, nodding towards Gray.

"Unfortunately." Cana sighs, "Don't worry too much about it, it stops feeling weird after the first few times."

"Oh, uh okay…" Lucy knits her eyebrows together as she looks at Gray. She couldn't help but wonder if she was actually at Fairy Tail, or if she was just dreaming. It felt too absurd, and the Fairy Tail she envisioned was not so...weird. It's possible she just had false impressions of the guild, but to think she'd been _that_ off...

"Come on! Fight me!" Gray yells as Natsu ignores him to punch another member.

"Put on some clothes first!" Natsu yells back.

"Lord, these idiots just make me want to drink even more." Cana comments. She stands abruptly and walks to the other side of the bar, lifting a barrel of alcohol and drinking straight from it. Lucy watches her chug, feeling intimidated, but also impressed. She wouldn't want to get into a drinking contest with that woman.

As Cana drains the barrel, the clunk of wooden shoes on the floor catch Lucy's attention, and she turns to see a large man with wild white hair and a large scar on his face. His arms are crossed, and he looks extremely muscular under his robes. "It's only noon and you're already whining and crying? You aren't kids, you know. Real men speak with their fists!" The man says, holding a fist out for emphasis as he speaks.

"Butt out!" Both Natsu and Gray exclaim, sending him flying into a wall with simultaneous punches.

Having now finished the barrel of alcohol (somehow), Cana saunters up to Lucy and leans into her, wrapping her arm around her shoulders. She takes another sip of wine from a normal glass this time with her other hand, and Lucy tries her hardest to suppress her spreading blush. Physical contact with pretty girls wasn't exactly something she was used to, but she wasn't about to protest.

"That's Elfman, he's a 'manly man'." Cana explained, making quotation signs with her free hand. "He's cool though, his idea of masculinity isn't misogynistic or anything, though he could stand to be lowed by a peg or two."

"Ugh, how noisy." A handsome boy with orange hair complains loudly nearby, drawing their attention. He has a cool green coat on that Lucy can't help but want, however his outfit is the only thing she'd give him any cool point for, given he's got his arms around two girls who both seem enamored with him. Lucy can't help but smirk when a flying glass hits his head. She's never been a fan of his type, the whole 'playboy' thing was quite frankly just annoying. As he declares his entrance into the fight, claiming he'll do so 'for the girls', Lucy decides to avoid him in the future.

"That's Loke, he's a tool." Cana comments, drinking more of her wine, "Don't take anything he says seriously."

"Noted." Lucy responds, nodding.

"Oh, are you new here?" Lucy turns to see who's addressing her now, only to feel her mouth go dry. The girl standing in front of her has long, smooth white hair, her bangs pulled up into a small sort of ponytail. Her ocean blue eyes sparkle with mirth, and Lucy finds herself unable to look away from them. However it's not just this woman's beauty that stuns her, oh no, Lucy knows exactly who this person is.

Lucy swallows, attempting to regain at least _some_ composure. "Mirajane! _The _Mirajane!" She breathes, astounded to be meeting her in person. She thinks back to the latest magazine she purchased, and how many of Mirajane's pictures had been shown, including on the cover. Clearing her throat, she continues at a proper volume, "I'm a huge fan of your work! I buy every issue of Sorcerer Magazine to see your pictures!"

"Oh, my!" Mirajane smiles, a slight blush on her cheeks, "I'm so flattered!"

"Ooh a fan of Mira's, huh?" Cana teases, leaning in closer, only making Lucy blush harder, "You've got some good taste! Mira, this is Lucy, she came in with Natsu."

"It's lovely to meet you!" Mira says, holding out her free hand.

"Y-You too!" Lucy responds, shaking her hand excitedly. "Oh! Would you mind autographing the latest issue? I don't want to overstep, but I'd love to remember this moment forever."

"Of course!" Mira replies. Lucy pulls her issue of Sorcerer Magazine out of the front pocket of her suitcase. Mira sets down the drink tray she'd been holding and pulls out a pen as Lucy flips to the page she wants her to sign. She hands over the issue, and Mira's face lights up with recognition. "Ah, this one!" She begins to sign as she continues speaking, "I'm so glad E was willing to do this with me, it easily makes it one of my favorites!" As she finishes her signature, she gently hands back the magazine.

"Thank you so much!" Lucy takes it back, then asks, "E?" Looking at the page again, she realizes Mira likely meant the pretty redhead on the page beside her that Lucy was also rather fond of. Before Mira could answer, Gray was sent flying into the bar, causing both girls to startle. Cana, however, didn't react at all as she continued to drink. As Gray launched himself back into the fray, Lucy asked, "Shouldn't we stop them?"

Mira smiles, "They're always like this, we should just leave them be. Besides-" She doesn't get to finish her sentence before Elfman is thrown into her, and the two hit the ground hard. "It's fun, don't you think?" She finishes from under Elfman, smile still in place as if nothing had happened.

"Okay, that's it, I'm done with this nonsense." Cana declares, removing herself from Lucy's side and pulling out a card, activating her magic. It isn't long before other members are activating their magic too, filling the room with a rainbow of colors between all their magic circles.

Just as Lucy is considering hiding behind the bar, a loud voice booms, "That's enough, you fools!" Everyone freezes as a large shadow towers over them.

"Oh, you're still here, master?" Mira asks, seeming completely unfazed as she gets up from under Elfman. Lucy's eyes widen and she gulps as she realizes that the giant shadow of a man must be the master. She suddenly felt a lot more anxious about asking to join the guild, now.

Natsu is the only one not frozen in place. "What a bunch of wimps! Looks like I win this-" He laughs before he's squashed under the master's foot like a bug. Lucy tenses, and she can feel it getting harder to breathe as her anxiety spikes.

The large man then turns to her. "You new here?" He asks. Lucy only manages to nod, her throat feeling tight. The shadow before her then begins to shrink, changing into the form of a very short old man. "Nice to meetcha!" He greets, shifting the tone of the entire room from tense to friendly once more. The rainbow of lights fades, and chatter picks up once again, though the fight seems to have ended, finally.

"This is Mr. Makarov, Fairy Tail's master!" Mira introduces, gesturing towards the tiny man.

Lucy nods and robotically holds out her hand. "N-Nice to meet you." She states, trying her hardest to keep her voice from breaking. She can feel her hand shaking as the master shakes it, and he gives her a wide grin.

"No need to be nervous! Welcome to Fairy Tail! I have an announcement to make real quick, but we'll talk after about getting you signed up!"

"Okay, thanks…" Lucy responds, still on edge. As the old man makes his way up to the second floor, Lucy tries to take some deep breaths to calm herself. Cana wraps her arm around Lucy once more and wordlessly offers her a drink. Lucy smiles and takes it, thankful for anything at this point to fix her dry throat and building nerves. As she took a sip, she was pleasantly surprised to find that Cana had given her juice rather than alcohol.

"Listen up!" The master booms from the second floor balcony, surveying the group of roughed up wizards below him. The guild hall fell silent as everyone turned their attention to him. "You guys have gone and done it again! Just look at how much paperwork the council sent me this time!" He holds out a stack of papers, shaking them to emphasize. "And it's all complaints! All you guys ever do is get the council mad at me!" The guild stayed silent, and Lucy could see many of them expressing various forms of guilt.

"However…" The master started, before the papers in his hand erupted into flame. "To hell with the council!" He throws the burning papers into the crowd, and Natsu immediately jumps forward to eat it. "Listen up! Power that surpasses reason is still born from reason! Magic is not a miraculous power. It is only realized when the flow of energy inside us and the flow of the energy in the natural world come into perfect sync! Magic comes from mental strength and focus- nay, it comes from your entire soul! Worry about the eyes watching from high above, and you will make no progress in the ways of magic! Don't let the fools on the council scare you! Follow the path _you_ believe in!"

Mira and Lucy make eye contact and Mira smiles at her. Lucy smiles back. Even with how strange the guild has been so far, Lucy finds that she was right to think highly of them.

"That's what Fairy Tail wizards do!" He points to the sky with his pointer finger and thumb, and the rest of the guild cheers and mimics him. Having finished his speech, the master made his way back down to the bar. "Okay okay, follow me!" He said, gesturing for Lucy and continuing on his way.

"You'll be fine, Lucy." Cana reassures her, patting her shoulder before heading back to the bar.

"Okay...I've got this!" Lucy says, psyching herself up. She'd been waiting for this chance for so long, nothing would stop her now! She followed Makarov into a small office room, the space cluttered with various papers and forms. Lucy took a seat in front of the desk as Makarov flitted back and forth between filing cabinets.

"It's around here somewhere...ah! Here!" He pulled out a form and jumped onto his purposely tall chair. "I'm gonna ask you a few questions and then we'll go from there! First, what kind of magic to you use?"

"I use Celestial Spirit magic." Lucy answered, showing him her set of keys.

"Oohh wonderful!" Makarov made some notes on his paper, then continued, "Now, what specifically do you want to do with your magic?"

"Umm…" Lucy thought for a moment, "I'd like to be able to have a proper income while putting my magic to use, but joining a guild specifically caught my eye because of the wide variety of ways wizards can help people."

"Practical, I like it." He scribbled some more notes, "And what made you want to join Fairy Tail specifically?"

"It's one of the most famous guilds out there!" Lucy answered excitedly. She cleared her throat, then added more quietly, "I've also heard that the members are all incredibly close, and that joining the guild is like joining a family. Family is something…something I really want to have."

Makarov tilted his head, giving her a bright smile. "My girl, you couldn't have chosen a better place, if family is what you're looking for. You're approved!" He dramatically threw the paper behind him, as if it hadn't mattered in the first place. "Now, tell me. Where would you like to wear your insignia, and what color do you want it to be?"

"Thank you so much!" Lucy grinned back at him. She could feel her heart beating hard in her chest, but for once it wasn't out of anxiety, but rather excitement. She'd thought long and hard about where she'd want her insignia, so without delay she answered, "I decided I'd like to have it on the back of my right hand, and in the color pink!"

"Gotcha!" As Makarov rummaged around for the insignia press, he asked, "Any special meaning behind that?"

"I just want to be reminded of it a lot, to be honest. On my hand, I'll be able to see it all the time! And pink...well, Natsu is the reason I was able to get here, so pink seems like a perfect fit."

"That's fair! It certainly means a lot!" Finding the press, he quickly took her hand and stamped the insignia into place. "Now, it's bound with magic, so it won't fade, rub off, or get ruined in any way, so don't worry about damaging it!" He stepped back and flashed her another smile, "Welcome to the Fairy Tail family, Lucy!"

Lucy held out her hand, admiring her insignia with a look of wonder on her face. "This is amazing...I'm a member of Fairy Tail!"

"Why don't you go show Natsu and the others, hm?" Makarov suggested, "I'm sure they'd love to see it!"

"I will! Thank you!" As Lucy made her way back out to the common area, she could hear that things had gotten back to normal. What was once sounds of a scuffle were now replaced with chatter between friends.

As she stepped back out onto the floor, Cana raised her glass in her direction. "Yo, Lucy! How'd it go?" Lucy beamed, holding up her hand for Cana to see. "Hell yeah! Welcome!"

Lucy giggled. She had to admit, she really liked Cana. She was easily the friendliest person in the guild that Lucy had met. As she made her way over to her new friend, she crossed paths with Mirajane, who was holding another platter of drinks.

"Oh, Lucy, congratulations! I'm so glad you've joined us!" Mirajane exclaimed, smartly maneuvering through the crowded room as she talked.

"Thanks! Do you know where Natsu is? I want to show him!"

"He's over by the job board!" Mirajane told her, pointing in the direction she needed to go.

Calling a quick 'thanks' over her shoulder, Lucy headed towards the job board, where she saw Natsu contemplating between the various job postings. "Natsu, look! I'm an official member of Fairy Tail!"

"Yeah, that's great, Luigi." Natsu said in a flat tone, not even turning to look at her.

"It's Lucy!" Lucy corrected in frustration.

"Yeah yeah, got it, Lucifer." Natsu continued, waving dismissively, "I'm busy looking for a good job."

"Pick a good paying one!" Happy advised.

"Hmm, maybe this one?" Natsu questioned, holding up a flyer, "160,000 Jewel for getting rid of some thieves."

"Is my dad still not back yet?!"

The shrill anger of the child's voice quickly toned down the volume of the room. The small black haired boy was currently glaring at Makarov, who had joined Cana at the bar for a drink.

"Romeo, have some faith in your father! You're a wizard's son, aren't you?" Makarov replied calmly.

"He said he'd be back in three days, but it's been a week now!" Romeo protested.

"As I recall, the job was on Mt. Hakobe…" Makarov trailed off, seemingly in thought.

"That isn't _that _far away! Go look for him!"

"There's no wizard in this guild who can't take care of themself! Believe in your father, Romeo!"

"My dad could be in danger and you aren't doing anything! None of you are doing anything!" Romeo yelled, tears flowing down his face. He angrily wiped his eyes with his arm and ran out of the building, leaving the guild speaking in hushed tones.

Lucy felt bad for the kid. Worrying over someone's safety can take a huge toll on people, she would know. Not all jobs are successful, and being a wizard means putting your life on the line a lot of the time. It was a reality she was well aware of, having gone through a similar situation herself.

A loud noise startled her out of her thoughts, and she turned to see Natsu had nearly punched a hole in the job board. With a deadly serious expression, Natsu simply states, "I'm gonna go get him." And heads out of the guild without another word.

"Are you sure you should let him go? He's just gonna end up hurting Macao's pride like that." A nearby member asked Makarov.

"No one is allowed to choose the path others take. Leave him be." Makarov answered, going back to his drink.

"Why's Natsu taking it on himself to find him?" Lucy had asked the question before she could think about it. She tightened her lips into a line, worried she may have overstepped.

"Natsu's kind of in the same boat as Romeo. I guess he sees a part of himself in him." Mirajane replies, coming up from behind. She settles behind the bar and begins to restock the shelves, then continues, "All of us Fairy Tail wizards have our own issues of some sort. Whether it's scars, pain, or suffering…"

Lucy nodded, that was understandable. Everyone has their own sort of problems.

"Natsu's father left and never came back. Well, technically he was only his foster father." She pauses, then adds, "And a dragon." As if what she's saying is completely normal.

"Natsu was raised by a dragon?!" Lucy knew Natsu was looking for a dragon, but for him to be raised by a dragon too? It was one of the more unusual things she'd heard that day.

"When Natsu was little, the dragon found him in the forest, took him in, and taught him all about language, culture, and magic. But...one day, the dragon suddenly disappeared." Mirajane explained.

"Oh, that must be Igneel, then…" So the dragon Natsu was looking for is also his foster father...and she thought she had some family issues.

"Natsu looks forward to the day he'll see Igneel again. That's kind of cute, don't you think?" Mirajane smiles and tilts her head, as if she's genuinely curious what Lucy thinks about Natsu's cuteness.

"I uh, guess?" Lucy knits her eyebrows together in confusion, "I think a better word for it would be inspiring, personally. To keep up hope like that? It's admirable in so many ways."

Mirajane raises her eyebrows, but doesn't say anything.

"I think I'm going to join him." Lucy decides, "I can see a lot of myself in Romeo too, and if Natsu's going to help then why shouldn't I? Besides, he brought me here, so he's responsible for showing me how things work around here." She reasoned.

"I'm sure Romeo would greatly appreciate that." Mira says, "I wish you both good luck!"

"Why are you here?" Natsu grumbled, laying face down on the carriage seat.

"What's the big deal?" Lucy sighed, and looked Natsu over. He seemed incredibly nauseous.

"You and vehicles don't mix at all, huh?" She commented, resting her chin in her hand, "Just don't throw up on me, okay?" Ignoring Natsu's grumbling, she loses herself in thought, imagining what her new life as a Fairy Tail wizard could be like.

What feels like a short time later, the carriage slows to a halt. The second it stops moving, Natsu jumps up to his feet and shouts, "I'm revived!"

"Oh, we've arrived?" Lucy asks, continuing to ignore his antics.

"Sorry! This is as far as I can go!" The carriage driver yells out in answer.

They open the doors of the carriage to find themselves in the snowy mountains, being battered by high winds and freezing temperatures. Lucy blinks. She'd assumed that the mountain they'd be going to would just be rocky, not...icy. Resigning herself to her freezing fate, she steps out into the frigid winds and follows Natsu up the mountain, her arms wrapped tightly around herself. "It's so cold...I know we're on a mountain, but it's supposed to be summer!" Lucy complains a short time later, badly shivering.

"That's what you get for wearing light clothes." Natsu responds, despite practically his whole chest being bare.

"You're not dressed any differently! Give me your blanket!" Lucy demands, grabbing the blanket Natsu had packed from his backpack.

"Man, you're annoying…" Natsu muttered.

"Oh, wait, I know!" Lucy pulls out a silver key with an image resembling the hands of a clock on it. "Open, Gate of the Clock Constellation! Horologium!" A large spirit in the form of a grandfather clock appears from the glow of her magic.

"Huh, a clock!" Natsu says, observing the grandfather clock spirit. The next moment, Lucy shuts herself inside of the clock, wrapping herself in the blanket and visibly relaxing.

"I'm staying in here, where it's warm!" She says.

"Huh? I can't hear you." Natsu is looking at her strangely, and she sighs, asking Horologium to repeat her words for him to hear.

"I'm staying in here, she says." Horologium repeats.

"Why did you even come?" Natsu asks, his tone growing more amused.

"What job brought Macao to a place like this?" Lucy asks, ignoring his question. Horologium repeated it for Natsu to hear.

"You came along without knowing?" He crosses his arms, "He was gonna subdue a Vulcan, a vicious monster."

Lucy swallows in fear. "I wanna go back!"

"Be my guest, I reply." Natsu responds, copying how Horologium has repeated her words.

"Aye." Happy seconds.

After a bit more walking, Natsu cups his hands around his mouth and yells out into the blizzard,

"Macao! You there?!"

"Macao!" Happy yells with him.

For a moment, the only sound is the rush of the frigid winds, then they hear a grunt-like noise and jump back narrowly avoiding the vulcan crashing into the spot where they last stood,the ice below it breaking up from the impact. It rises up, and towers over Natsu with its hulking form. It's black and white fur blends well with the surrounding area, and it looks like a large ape with a singular horn protruding from the top of its head.

It pauses and sniffs the air for a moment, then turns and lunges at Lucy. "The smell of spirits!" the vulcan exclaims, grabbing Horologium and Lucy and running away as if it had snagged a prize. Lucy yelled out for Natsu, and she could hear Horologium repeating it in a more panicked voice than he'd used before.

"So, it can talk?" Natsu comments, placing a fiery punch in his palm as he got fired up. He made no move to follow them.

"Help me already!" Lucy yelled, with Horologium repeating it in much the same tone.

"What's with this monkey? He's just dancing around us...how come he looks so happy?" Lucy had decided that complaining was better than being frozen with fear, and as she watched the vulcan move rhythmically around them, she gave a silent plea to the Celestial King that Natsu would get there soon. She really didn't want to have to face such a dangerous monster on her own, especially since this was her first mission. Well, sort of. Even if it wasn't official nor for pay, she would count it as her first.

A loud beep interrupts the hooting and hollering of the dancing vulcan. An embarrassed Horologium poofs away back to the spirit realm, leaving Lucy exposed and alone. "Time is up. Take care!" He calls from the other side.

"Don't leave me alone!" Lucy protests. She hastily gets to her feet, her whip at the ready. The vulcan stops prancing and sniffs the air again. Lucy begins to back up as the vulcan's face turns to her in anger.

"No spirit? Bring spirit!" It demands.

Just as it prepares to attack her, a loud voice startles them both. "Monkey! Where's Macao?!" Natsu roars as he charges in. Rather than attack the vulcan, like she'd have expected him to, he slips on the icy floor and skids powerfully into the nearby wall.

"Can't you make entrances like a normal person?" Lucy sighs. Nonetheless, she moves to get behind him, prepared for a fight.

"So, where's Macao?" Natsu asks again. "I know you understand me! Where's Macao? He's a human man."

"Human?" The vulcan questions.

"That's right! Where did you hide him?" Natsu demands, pointing at the monkey as if accusing it. The vulcan points to a hole in the wall, beckoning Natsu closer. "Oh, he understands!" Natsu follows it and looks out the hole over the side of the mountain, hoping to see Macao, but instead the monkey kicks him off the edge and laughs. "MONKEY!" He screams as he falls down a large chasm.

"No humans! Like spirits!" The vulcan laughed.

"Happy, you got him?" Lucy calls, her keys at the ready.

"Aye!" Happy says, his small white wings extending from his back. As he rushes after Natsu, Lucy holds up one of her keys.

"Check this out, you stupid ape!" She drops her hand downward, as if plunging the key into an invisible lock. "Open, Gate of the Golden Bull! Taurus!" She turns the golden key, and with a crisp 'ding dong' sound, the ground erupts, revealing a muscular cow man brandishing a large axe on his back. "Taurus is the most powerful spirit I have a contract with!" Lucy boasts, shaking out her whip in preparation.

"Oh Lucy, you flatter me! I'm mooved!" Taurus responds, blushing heavily at the compliment. "I'll gladly take care of this monkey business for you!" With that, he launches up in the air, "Fierce Moove!" He yells, slamming his axe into the ground and sending a shock wave of rubble crackling towards the vulcan. The vulcan jumps out of the way and quickly moves around the resulting dust cloud, excitedly sprinting towards the celestial spirit. Taurus pulled his axe back, preparing to swing, when he was interrupted by a rough kick to the face. Taurus is immediately taken out.

"Natsu! What are you doing?!" Lucy shakes her head and places a hand on her hip.

"Is it me, or are there more monsters now?" Natsu asks, stretching absentmindedly as he stares down the vulcan. Happy has him hovering in the air for a short moment longer before setting him down.

"He's an ally! A celestial spirit!"

"The monkey is?"

"The bull!"

"Oh, weird." Natsu comments.

"Aye!" Happy agrees.

"Ugh, whatever." Lucy sighs, "So you're no good riding vehicles, but fine riding Happy?"

"What are you talking about?" Natsu turns and gives her a look that just screams 'put off' "Happy isn't a vehicle, he's my friend. Wow you're simple minded…"

"Y-You're right, I'm sorry." Lucy backed down.

"Spirits!" The vulcan yelled, clearly irritated. It slams its fist down at Natsu with full force. Natsu blocks it with his forearm, and the ground beneath his feet crumbles from the impact.

"Listen up! All the members of Fairy Tail are my comrades and friends!" Natsu says. The vulcan sends a kick his way, and he blocks it with both his forearms this time, being sent sliding across the room. He skids to a stop and continues, "From Gramps and Mira to those annoying jerks Gray and Elfman!" As he glows with magical power, he adds, "Happy and Lucy are my friends too." A magic circle opens from under his feet and fire erupts around his legs. "Which is why…" He starts, landing a flaming kick straight into the vulcan's middle, "I'm taking Macao back with me!"

The vulcan hits the ceiling, but lands on its feet. Between the two, icicles fall from above, piercing the ice and littering the ground. Natsu grins, and the monkey yells, swinging his arms to blow the icicles towards Natsu. Lucy dodges them, while Natsu spreads his arms and takes them head on, adamantly yelling that ice has no effect on fire.

The vulcan then picks up Taurus's discarded axe, giving another laugh.

"Uh oh...Taurus's Axe!" Lucy exclaims, rushing over to Taurus as the monkey swings the axe back and forth, Natsu dodging easily. "Go back and the axe will disappear too!" She tells him, but he's still reeling from Natsu's kick. The vulcan swings the axe dowards and Natsu catches it between his hands, struggling with the effort of keeping it in place. Between his hands, the axe begins to glow a bright orange, melting from the intense heat. Natsu crouches further underneath it to catch the drops of molten metal in his mouth."

"He melted the axe with his body heat?" Lucy is impressed.

"Aye!"

"And he's eating it?"

"Aye!"

Lucy didn't think she'd ever get used to him literally eating fire and fire-related things.

"Now that I've eaten, I feel re-energized!" Natsu mumbles from around the metal, before spitting it out at the vulcan, sending it reeling backwards in pain. He slams his fists together, a magic circle opening between them. "Here I come! Fire Dragon Iron Fist!" He shouts as he nears the vulcan, flames dancing over his fist. He slams his punch into the vulcan and sends it flying into the icy wall, knocking it out, and ultimately defeating it.

"Wasn't this ape supposed to tell us where Macao is?" Lucy deadpans, approaching the limp body of the vulcan.

"Oops, I forgot." Natsu admits, running his hand through his hair, his tone completely unapologetic.

The vulcan then began to glow, and with a burst of light, the vulcan disappeared and a middle aged man with dark blue hair was left in its place.

"Macao!" Natsu exclaimed.

"What? _He_ was the vulcan?" Lucy frowned, "How though?"

"The vulcan must have done a Take Over on him." Happy comments. "It's a body possession spell. Vulcans are monsters that survive by stealing people's bodies and taking them over. It looks like he put up an intense fight before he was taken over, though."

Lucy spreads out the blanket, and Natsu gently places the man onto it. "Macao! Don't you dare die! Romeo is waiting for you! Open your eyes!" Natsu pleads at his side.

Macao's eyes slowly open, and focus on the pink haired doofus. "Natsu…"

"Macao!" Natsu smiles, his face almost bursting with kid-like joy.

"I'm pathetic...I defeated 19 of them...But the 20th took over me...I'm really mad at myself…" "Damn...I can't face Romeo now…" Macao says, and Lucy blanches. Only one vulcan had been intimidating enough, but to face 19 of them? Lucy swallows. She's nowhere near that level of strength, not even close. She couldn't help but wonder how many other Fairy Tail wizards were Macao's level or higher. It made her feel light headed, pondering just how strong other members could be.

"Don't say that! Defeating that many is impressive enough!" Natsu insists, still radiating happiness. Lucy smiles as she watches him, and decides to push away her thoughts of inadequacy. She puts a hand on his shoulder, and smiles back at him when he turns to grin at her. Natsu's expression is the exact reason they went on this mission, and soon, Romeo would match it. They both stand, and Natsu offers his hand to Macao. "Now let's go see Romeo!" Natsu beams. Macao grins back at him, determination in his eyes.

"Romeo!" Natsu yells as they enter the town. He's supporting Macao and waving proudly to the little boy, who was sat by the entrance, clearly worrying over his father. Romeo gasps and runs forward, tackling his dad with tears in his eyes.

"Dad!" Romeo yells as they fall. Macao catches them and pulls him into a hug. "Dad! You're here!"

"I'm sorry for worrying you." Macao tells him.

"It's okay! I'm a wizard's son!" Romeo sobs, hugging Macao even tighter.

Natsu and Lucy shoot each other a look, small smiles on their faces. As they begin to walk away, satisfied with their efforts, Romeo shouts at their backs, "Natsu! Happy! Thank you!"

Without turning around, they respond. "No problem!" and "Aye!"

"And thank you too, Lucy!" Romeo adds.

Lucy turns as she walks and sends him a smile and a wave. Seeing the boy so happy to see his father made her immensely happy, but deep down she could feel twinges of jealousy and regret. She shakes her head, pushing the negative thoughts out of her mind as she walks at Natsu's side. No, she wouldn't think about that now. Now was the time to celebrate a job well done.

Natsu grinned at her, giving her a quick thumbs up. Lucy smiled back at him, and found herself looking forward to their next adventure.


End file.
